July 2, 2025 • 30 mins
The military grooming standards debate has reached a critical turning point. A bombshell Military.com article reveals the Army's upcoming policy that could separate soldiers diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB)—a condition affecting up to 94% of Black men—if they require shaving exemptions for more than 12 months in a two-year period.
What makes this policy particularly contentious is the clear demographic impact. PFB occurs when tightly coiled hair curls back into the skin after shaving, causing painful bumps and potential scarring. While the Army plans to implement treatment plans, including possible laser removal (which can cause pigmentation changes), critics—including an anonymous senior NCO—claim the policy is "racially motivated" with "no tactical reason" behind it.
The timing raises eyebrows against recruitment statistics showing Black Americans representing 25% of Army recruits while white recruitment has plummeted 43% over five years. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a review of grooming standards across services, claiming standards have "fallen" in recent years despite a 2021 military study finding no conclusive evidence that well-groomed beards compromise gas mask function.
This isn't just about shaving—it's about the intersection of military standards, medical realities, and racial equity. As a leader with almost 18 years of service, I've seen standards evolve, but professional implementation remains crucial regardless of personal opinions. What's your take on this controversial policy? Does maintaining traditional grooming standards justify potentially losing qualified soldiers over a treatable skin condition? The conversation continues as we await the official guidance and its impact on the force.
Resources:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/06/27/new-army-shaving-policy-will-allow-soldiers-skin-condition-affects-mostly-black-men-be-kicked-out.html
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/03/14/marines-can-now-be-kicked-out-skin-condition-affects-mostly-black-men.html
https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/pseudofolliculitis-barbae-prevention-and-treatment
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hirsutism/symptoms-causes/syc-20354935
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Militarycom just dropped a bombshell article
titled New Army Shaving PolicyWill Allow Soldiers With Skin
Conditions that Affect MostlyBlack Men To Be Kicked Out.
Stay tuned, because we're goingto talk about it.
Welcome to the Roger SarnePodcast, where we talk all
(00:26):
things Army and I'm your host,sarnt Cruz, and today I'm
breaking down the article aboutbeards in the Army, and without
further ado, let's get started.
I want to preface this byexplaining what is
pseudofoleculitis barbae.
Explaining what ispseudofolliculitis barbae and
(00:47):
pseudofolliculitis barbae, or,as we're going to refer to this
as PFB.
It's also known as razor bumps.
This is a common and a chronicinflammatory skin condition
which is typically caused byshaving.
It's also predominantly inblack men.
So what does PFB look like?
(01:11):
So they're kind of like if youhave a picture in your head
they're like small yet painfulpapules and pustules.
So they grow in the area of thechin and they can progress to
scarring and they can turn intokeloids in certain individuals.
(01:31):
Right?
Who does this typically affect,is the question, and according
to the uspharmacistcom, pfb canoccur in any ethnic group.
However, individuals withtightly coiled hair are more
(01:52):
than likely predisposed to thisskin condition, so, according to
them, it's estimated that 45 to94% of all African American men
will experience PFB at sometime during their life.
Hispanic, asian and MiddleEastern men are also affected by
(02:17):
this, or they can be.
Some women also develop PFB,especially those with a hirsutim
or hirsutism, or those whoroutinely shave their bikini
area.
For those who don't know whathirsutism is, it's just, it just
means women who grow hair wheremen typically grow, and that's
(02:41):
like the lips, the chin and theforehead area, which is what
causes the, the the razor bumps,because they sometimes shave it
.
So now that we got out that, wegot that out the way, let's go
(03:03):
ahead and get to the article.
Ok, so, as you can see here myapologies, so if you're
listening on the podcast, youcan go over to youtube and you
can watch the article as well.
And um, yeah, so, as you seehere, it's titled militarycom
titles it new army shavingpolicy will allow soldiers with
(03:24):
skin conditions that affectmostly black men to be kicked
out, and this article waswritten on June 27th 2025 by
Stephen Bannon.
So if you see the picture here,what it has is it has four
troops in a chair.
(03:46):
It looks like a clinical areabecause there's some chucks
there and they are laid backwith their head facing upward,
and they have what I can onlyimagine is a hot towel over
their bearded area, and this wasdone.
These are soldiers assigned tothe 3rd Infantry Sustainment
(04:07):
Brigade.
They use yep, they use hottowels to warm their faces
during a shaving clinic whichwas given May 22nd 2017 at the
brigade's organizationalclassroom.
So 2017, quick maths would tellme about eight years ago.
They've been doing this so 2017.
(04:28):
So, that being said, this hasbeen in the works for a while,
which is my point.
So the army is preparing toroll out a new policy that could
lead to soldiers diagnosed withchronic skin condition that
caused painful razor bumps andscarring to be kicked out of
service, an issue thatdisproportionately affects black
(04:51):
men, and this is mainly whatwe're talking about.
Right, the potential that ithasn't rolled out yet, but the
guidance is coming out andthey're giving us a heads up.
Guidance is coming out andthey're giving us a heads up,
and the big issue is that partis the how it affects one
(05:14):
particular race.
Ok, so the next thing it saysis the new guidance expected to
take effect in the coming weekswould bar shape permanent
shaving waivers and requiremedical personnel to craft a
formal treatment plan foraffected troops, according to
multiple service officials andinternal documents reviewed by
(05:37):
the by military dot com.
So they're going to ban it, butthey're also going to come up
with a treatment plan.
I guess those who do pass thetreatment plan have nothing to
worry about.
The only thing that I wouldthink that people can
potentially hang their hats upon is it being still targeted,
(06:06):
right, I don't know this is it'sa thin line to say it's
targeted and be in the militaryat the same time.
What I would say is mepersonally, I do not care if you
have a beard, if you don't.
I do like it when it's normal,like if you have a.
(06:28):
If your beard is three, fourinches and you don't have a
religious exemption, I sometimesI'm like come on, bro, what,
what are we doing here?
But if you just keep it justnormal, as the profile says
because if your profile saysthree inches, then three inches
it is, I don't know.
But what I'm saying is we we'veseen it like.
This is nothing like.
(06:48):
What I'm saying is nothing new.
We've seen troops that justhave a long beard and this is.
I think those are the targetedaudience, which ultimately fall
under the majority ofpredominantly black men.
So let's continue.
(07:08):
So, soldiers in need of profileof oh yeah, soldiers in need of
prolonged waivers may bedirected to get laser treatment.
Those who need shavingexemption for more than 12
months over a two-year periodcould be kicked out the army.
So if you have, um, a shavingprofile for more than 12 months
(07:36):
over a two-year period, thenthat's when they're going to
start and it says, uh, could be.
It's not that they will, butbecause it hasn't come out, so
you have 24 months.
If you total up to 12 months,then here you go.
Units across the force willalso be mandated to rebrief
personnel on grooming standardswithin the 90 days, within 90
(07:58):
days of the policy rollout.
Obviously, right, we're goingto do a whole bunch of of of
briefs and, uh, the theaters aregoing to be full and we're
going to it's so crazy.
Um, but yeah, that's going tobe put out.
And then, obviously, they'regoing to come out with their
policy and then units are goingto OD on it and probably go
(08:19):
extra hard on it even even more,because that's the focal point.
So I would just say, for all ofyou who are on a profile just
relax, wait till the policycomes out and we'll take it from
there.
Next thing it says is, mostshaving waivers are for soldiers
diagnosed with PFB, a conditionin which hairs curl into the
(08:46):
skin after shaving, which causesirritation.
The Pentagon may cover lasertreatments, but that can cost
thousands of dollars per soldierdepending on the number of
sessions required.
It's unclear how many soldierswill require require this, this
um procedure.
So I guess the argument herecould also be is would the army
(09:07):
rather pay for these lasertreatments and them to
potentially not work, and thenstill have to escort the troop
out the army?
And then you know the.
Here's the um, the, thetaxpayer argument, which is oh,
my tax dollars are going herethis than a third.
So it's again.
(09:29):
Let's continue, though.
The american osteopathiccollege of dermatology estimates
that up to 60 percent of blackmen are affected by this
condition.
Laser laser treatments cancause a skin scarring and
changes in skin pigmentation.
So so the the, so they'resaying six out of 10 men, black
(09:50):
men, will have this.
And then on top of that is thatthe treatment could also cause
the scarring or just changetheir, the color of their skin.
Right Can make it darker, canmake it lighter.
So now this is your face andthis this is your first
presentation in the army in apicture that you take in dating
(10:10):
with your family, with your kids, it doesn't matter Like your
face, is your profile right andto potentially change that.
It's scary, I'm not going tolie.
Another thing about that is itsays that the treatment can
cause it.
If we think of immunizations,if we think of what are these
(10:31):
called Immunizations proceduresthat you may have, like ACL
tears, back surgeries Manythings have side effects.
It doesn't mean that it willhappen, but there is a potential
, which is why when you go andyou get a procedure done, you're
going to sign the somepaperwork before acknowledging
(10:55):
the fact that these side effectscan occur.
That's a that's a real thing inlife.
Okay, let's continue.
So in quotes it says of course,this is racially motivated.
One senior non-commissionedofficer familiar with the plan
(11:18):
told militarycom, on thecondition of anonymity, to avoid
retaliation Smart move, smartmove.
And then another quote there'sno tactical reason.
You can look professional withand hold on.
There's no tactical reason.
And then it has a semicolon youcan look professional with
(11:39):
facial hair.
End quote sentence.
Right there, there's notactical reason.
That's a true statement, becausewe're gonna be, we're, we're
hanging the hat on this gas mask.
I can't.
I've never used a gas mask inthe army, probably four times
total, and that's basic trainingand a couple gas chambers.
(11:59):
I've never, we've never had touse it and we're avoiding
nuclear attacks.
So I mean, that to me, is outout the window.
When you, when someone mentionsgas masks, that just lets me
know that they just don't likebeards.
That's it, because we'retalking about a 0.0001 percent.
That can happen, right, drivinga car you would get into an
(12:22):
accident driving a car beforeyou put your gas mask in,
probably a 20-year span ofservice in a real situation.
That's just so.
I think that, right, there isthe thing.
Oh, and the second part is youcan look professional with
facial hair, and this is whatI'm saying.
Those individuals who keeptheir hair down to what it's
(12:44):
supposed to be, yeah, more powerto them.
It's the, I think, where thebearing is.
I don't know, I don't know what, what, uh, sec, def and POTUS,
what their issue is, if it's thefacial hair or if it's the
outrageous facial hair, cause mepersonally don't care about
facial hair, I care more aboutthe ones that have it like
(13:05):
really bushy for no reason, andthen nowadays you can't ask for
a profile unless the commanderasks for it, and it's just a big
deal, right?
So I think there's a lot ofhiding behind the hippa, which
doesn't allow leaders to beleaders and in turn creates an
issue, and then those who havetheir biases already, now
(13:28):
they're really, it's amplifiedbecause it's like, see, I told
you so, yes, you can lookprofessional with facial hair.
I believe that.
So the next thing is it says inMarch, the Marine Corps rolled
out a similar program whichallows troops to be separated if
genetic skin condition persists, also raising concerns of
(13:48):
racial discrimination persist,also raising concerns of racial
discrimination.
Now, if we go to that umarticle, it says marines with
skin conditions affected mostlyblack, affecting mostly black
men, could now be booted underthe new policy, and this was
written march 14, 2025.
And if we go down to, I wouldsay here, we go right here.
(14:11):
Fourth paragraph, it says, andI quote in cases where a medical
condition prevents a Marinefrom meeting required standards
for an extended period exceedingone year, administrative
separation may be considered ifit affects long term service
capability.
So the verb if ours, mirrorsthat, there's verbiage there.
(14:35):
If it interferes long-termcapability, interpret that.
That is a command discretion atthat point.
If that's, if that's what thepolicy says, that verbiage right
there does not say immediatelyyou're going to be.
Just because you have facialhair and you can't fix it, then
(14:55):
you're done.
Okay, so and that's the endquote.
Major jacob getty, aspokesperson for the core
manpower and reserve affairs,said in an email statement
friday, when asked why marinesare no longer exempt from the
separate, exempt from separationdue to pfb okay, so we go back.
(15:19):
So that's the thing about that.
We're gonna.
If we mirror that there's,there's some leeway in there.
It's not mandated.
But I do have a question, thoseof you with shaving profiles has
your provider ever tried toteach you how to shave?
Because, yes, we have thetemporary profile and then the
(15:45):
easy button is just oh, here's apermanent profile and then
that's it.
You don't have to come see theprovider anymore, the provider
no longer has to see you.
But the question is, have theytried?
Have they tried to teach youhow to shave?
Because I remember I was inAlaska and between 2014 and 2017
, and her name was LieutenantColonel Brodin she was a
(16:08):
physician's assistant.
No, she was a nursepractitioner and she would give
you a profile.
But you would come back and shewould teach you, like that was
her mission to teach everysoldier how to shave their face,
not just to shave, to shavetheir face.
And I thought that that wasgood, because that's the purpose
(16:32):
of a profile, right, theprofile is to give you time to
rehabilitate.
It's an exemption to the rule.
Now, a permanent profile itjust means that you have an
exemption to the rule and thereare certain things you will
never be able to do, and shavingis one of them.
(16:54):
But when you get a, a permanentprofile, typically for your
knee, your ankle, your back, foranything else, it's because
you've been through extensivewell, this is how it's supposed
to be.
You've been through extensiverehabilitation tries or the
trauma is so hard that there'sno way that that joint will ever
(17:19):
function the same way.
So that's why I asked thisquestion have these doctors
tried to rehabilitate your face,for lack of better terms, all
right, so, um, yeah, I uh, let's, let's keep going.
(17:44):
So the army has been in aprolonged recruit slump since
the high water mark of the warsin Iraq and Afghanistan.
Something it started to turnaround last year, right,
something it's started to turn.
I don't know why.
I said something.
So, while black Americans makeup 14% of the US population,
they have accounted for roughlyone quarter of the Army's new
(18:06):
recruits in recent years, andthat number is steadily rising.
However, their services havemade deliberate efforts to
reduce recruiting efforts linkedto minority groups amid defense
secretary pete hex's purge ofdiversity initiatives during the
trump administration, and wesaw that through when they
(18:29):
stopped recruiting at some Ican't some STEM university that
was really big and it was Ithink it was a form of HBC, and
they just stopped that pipeline.
So I do.
I do remember that happening.
So in 2018, more than 44,000new recruits identified as white
(18:50):
.
According to the Army data, by2023, that number had fallen
just over 25, a staggering 43%drop in five years.
The steep annual decline camemost recently, with a 6% dip
from 2022 to 2023 alone.
No other demographic group hasseen such a precipitous fall.
(19:14):
Most of the recent recruitingslumps was attributed to men
being less qualified or willingto don the uniform, while women
have been joining the ranks at asteady rate.
That's what I'm talking about.
Get it, bring them in.
That's what I'm talking.
You.
What is this?
You go girl.
Yeah, that's.
You know what I mean.
So what we're doing so.
(19:36):
They're either not qualifiedbecause they're we've, we.
They're either not qualifiedbecause they're we've, we've,
come in with the future soldiersprogram and all that which is
they, uh they if they're, ifthey're too big, or or they
can't, if they can't meet heightand weight, or they can't pass
a pt to acft, aft now.
Then they have a 90-day programand then for those who can't
(19:57):
pass the asvAB, they have thesame thing.
So that's been a supplementalpipeline.
But just Joe coming off thestreet, it's they're not
qualified because it's adifferent time.
I guess I don't.
I don't know what the issue is,either medical or they just
can't cut it.
And some of them just say Iain't about that life, it is
(20:17):
what it is, I ain't trying to godo all this extra stuff, right?
So, moving on, medicalcomplications tied to mandatory
shaving emerged as a flashpointduring the military bumpy road
towards racial integration Inthe early 1970s.
Then Chief of Naval OperationAdmiral L Zumwalt launched an
(20:39):
aggressive campaign to root outracism and sexism across the
ranks.
As a part of the broader push,zumwalt issued a now-famous
directive permitting soldiers togrow beards and mustaches, a
move that clashed with theNavy's traditional rigid
grooming codes but aim to easechronic skin issues that
(21:03):
disproportionately affectedblack service members.
I can see that.
I can see that Right.
So you allow them to have theirmustaches and beards.
I guess, yeah, mustache andbeards.
And now it's an equal playingfield because again, we're going
(21:25):
back to the hair coiling ispredominantly African-American
men.
That's it.
The primary argument allowingbeards in the ranks has lost,
centered on concerns that theywould compromise the seal of the
gas mask.
I can't, I can't with that.
Oh, it makes me aggressive tohear that.
But in 2021, studies frommilitary medicine, a peer
(21:45):
reviewed medical journal, foundthere's no conclusive evidence
that a well-groomed, modestbeard interferes with mass
function.
A well-groomed, modest beard,okay.
Modest beard, okay.
And I mean there's I don't knowwhatever man.
(22:06):
I can't, I can't with that gasmask argument.
To me, it's just a easy way,it's an easy button, right, like
when you were younger and yourmom or your dad you ask them,
hey, could I go get this orcould I go out?
And they'd be like, no, and belike, but why?
Because I said so.
So that's it right there.
That's what it feels like to meall the time when someone says
the gas mask.
So the publication also notedthat a small fraction of service
(22:28):
members operate in environmentswhere chemical attacks are a
realistic threat.
In Alaska, units are grantedwide latitude when it comes to
grooming standards, withcommanders often waiving shaving
requirements.
During the frigid winter months, troops are frequently
instructed to skip their morningshave or forego it entirely
(22:50):
while operating in the field,not out of convenience but out
of safety precautions.
To stream cold can make shavinga medical hazard, with exposed
skin at risk of frostbite andother cold weather injuries.
And this is a hundred percenttrue.
I was stationed in Alaska from14 to 17.
And that's where I metLieutenant Colonel Brodin at the
(23:11):
time.
And man, you can't shaveoutside.
There's no way.
I mean even even here, likewhen you, when you go to the
field, you see everyone growingtheir mustaches and they let the
hair out, whatever it is,because it's just an unwritten
rule.
It's more relaxed, it is whatit is.
You're out there, you'reshaving.
(23:32):
It's not a big deal In Garrison, that's a.
We say in Spanish eso son otro20 pesos, that's another $20,
right, but yes, 100%.
They forego it.
We don't have to worry about it.
I can attest to that.
Moving on the Army move to clampdown on shaving waivers follows
(23:54):
Hegseth, who has protested,shaving waivers, ordering a
sweep of review of groomingstandards across the service,
and he did, and I remember this,I did a TikTok about it and I
did a video about this as well.
He has claimed that standardshave fallen in recent years and
damaged the military.
I agree and I don't.
(24:18):
You know, I'm not against whatthey're doing.
I'm not against it becausethat's the rule, right, there's
exceptions to the rule.
I'm just against the fact, ornot against the fact?
I disagree with the fact thatit because it affects a certain
demographic.
If that were not the case, Ithink this would go over, just
(24:39):
like anything else.
Oh man, we got to shade, blah,blah, blah.
But the fact that it it'smajority, this, that's that's
where the hiccup is.
But, yes, standards have gonedown.
I'm telling you, standards havegone down and and it's our
fault as our fault as leaders,that the standards have gone
down at the same time, orstrategic level are tying our
(25:03):
hands.
They keep coming up with theseregulations, these rules that
don't allow us to do our job.
I think that's the issue.
That's what I think the issueis the new directives that have
been coming out throughout theyears.
I'm not talking about thisadministration I been coming out
throughout the years.
(25:24):
I'm not talking about thisadministration I'm talking about
throughout the years havepigeonholed, true, or leaders
from doing their job.
I'm not saying you got a skulldrag, joe, but there used to be
a time that joe would thinktwice before they say something
crazy, because you knew you'dprobably be doing low crawls
around a baseball field.
And I say that because in myfirst duty station, one of my
(25:49):
buddies he was late to formation.
It was like his third time bynow and it was like all right,
cool, I remember it was.
He was staff sergeant at thetime.
He got promoted to SergeantFirst Class when we deployed,
but Staff Sergeant Buchanan,he's a Sergeant Major now.
He made PFC Buchanan, go get agas mask, go get a water jug and
(26:14):
he had to push the water jug.
And then he had to low crawl,push the water jug to low crawl,
push the water jug, low crawl.
And I remember this vividlybecause it was my first time
playing ultimate frisbee.
I had never heard of this untilI got into the army and I was
like what the heck is ultimatefrisbee?
And then he shows up and thenI'm like what the heck is he
doing so, yeah, I mean thosetimes, those the of doing that.
(26:39):
I'm not saying we have to dothat, whatever it is, and some,
some units still do it, but whatI'm saying is we, the fear, or
the fear has has, kind of likeum, has been gone, right.
So if the soldier doesn't justupright respect you, it's a wrap
, you're done Right, becausebefore you had fear and respect,
now you just have to haverespect, no fear, and I think
(27:03):
this is my personal opinion.
I think there has to be sometype of fear in there, because
if not, there are regulations ontheir side.
This is my thought process.
What do you think?
All right?
Last thing, we kicked out goodsoldiers for having naked women
tattoos on their arms, andthat's true.
Oh man, I remember this vividly.
(27:27):
He passed away now, but one ofmy good buddies, johnson, he had
a on his thigh no, not histhigh on his calf.
He had a woman on like one ofthose pinups and she didn't have
.
She had her breast out and hehad to go get it covered, like
(27:48):
put a bikini on her, becausethat was a thing.
It was that or get out.
So that statement right there.
That's true.
And this was 2000, between 2008and 2011.
My first first duty station,2011,.
My first duty station, hexesssaid in a March statement,
criticizing what hecharacterized as bad policy
decisions by pastadministrations, and I got to
(28:10):
agree with him.
And today we are relaxing thestandards on shaving dreadlocks,
man buns and straight upobesity, piece by piece.
The standard has to go becauseof equity and that's a end quote
from him I it's, it's, it's,it's wild, it's wild.
(28:33):
And and that's I mean straightup obesity I don't know about.
I don't think I've seen a manbun.
What I've seen is like the longhair, that kind of like that.
It's just right there at theeyebrow.
I've seen that.
I saw one soldier that heposted himself on um on tiktok
with dreadlocks.
Shaving has always been a thingin the army.
(28:56):
I've almost 18 years andshaving has been a thing.
So I don't know that doesn't itdoesn't bother me unless it's
bushy, like out of theirspecific parameters for shaving,
right.
But yeah, I think we as leadersneed to make sure that we don't
(29:23):
overreact to this.
Keep our calm.
So when, joe, when we deliverthe information to Joe or when
Joe is talking about it, we canmake sure that we ease them into
understanding what's going on,even if we don't agree with it.
As leaders, we have to keep itprofessional.
That's it.
And in order to keep itprofessional, we have to take
(29:44):
and be a little bit emotionallyintelligent, and when we deliver
the message or we're clearingup a message or a notion that
Joe has, we have to say it fairand impartial, just like we do
punishment and rewards.
We also have to obey thesepolicies, memos and regulations
(30:06):
the same way, and that's how wedeliver information.
It's very difficult, I know it,trust me, especially when you
are the one feeling targetedSame time.
We're leaders and we have to beprofessionals.
Now I want to hear your thoughtson this.
Keep it clean, though.
Don't don't don't be wild anddon't be ODing in the comments.
(30:26):
Do you think the upcoming memois a good or a bad thing?
Drop your thoughts in thecomments and if you found this
discussion insightful, check outmy other videos, which I'll
post them somewhere around here,and remember you don't have to
embrace the suck if you got theright tools in your rug.
I'm Sarn Cruz and I'll see youin the next one.
(30:48):
Peace.
Militarycom just dropped a bombshell article
titled New Army Shaving PolicyWill Allow Soldiers With Skin
Conditions that Affect MostlyBlack Men To Be Kicked Out.
Stay tuned, because we're goingto talk about it.
Welcome to the Roger SarnePodcast, where we talk all
(00:26):
things Army and I'm your host,sarnt Cruz, and today I'm
breaking down the article aboutbeards in the Army, and without
further ado, let's get started.
I want to preface this byexplaining what is
pseudofoleculitis barbae.
Explaining what ispseudofolliculitis barbae and
(00:47):
pseudofolliculitis barbae, or,as we're going to refer to this
as PFB.
It's also known as razor bumps.
This is a common and a chronicinflammatory skin condition
which is typically caused byshaving.
It's also predominantly inblack men.
So what does PFB look like?
(01:11):
So they're kind of like if youhave a picture in your head
they're like small yet painfulpapules and pustules.
So they grow in the area of thechin and they can progress to
scarring and they can turn intokeloids in certain individuals.
(01:31):
Right?
Who does this typically affect,is the question, and according
to the uspharmacistcom, pfb canoccur in any ethnic group.
However, individuals withtightly coiled hair are more
(01:52):
than likely predisposed to thisskin condition, so, according to
them, it's estimated that 45 to94% of all African American men
will experience PFB at sometime during their life.
Hispanic, asian and MiddleEastern men are also affected by
(02:17):
this, or they can be.
Some women also develop PFB,especially those with a hirsutim
or hirsutism, or those whoroutinely shave their bikini
area.
For those who don't know whathirsutism is, it's just, it just
means women who grow hair wheremen typically grow, and that's
(02:41):
like the lips, the chin and theforehead area, which is what
causes the, the the razor bumps,because they sometimes shave it
.
So now that we got out that, wegot that out the way, let's go
(03:03):
ahead and get to the article.
Ok, so, as you can see here myapologies, so if you're
listening on the podcast, youcan go over to youtube and you
can watch the article as well.
And um, yeah, so, as you seehere, it's titled militarycom
titles it new army shavingpolicy will allow soldiers with
(03:24):
skin conditions that affectmostly black men to be kicked
out, and this article waswritten on June 27th 2025 by
Stephen Bannon.
So if you see the picture here,what it has is it has four
troops in a chair.
(03:46):
It looks like a clinical areabecause there's some chucks
there and they are laid backwith their head facing upward,
and they have what I can onlyimagine is a hot towel over
their bearded area, and this wasdone.
These are soldiers assigned tothe 3rd Infantry Sustainment
(04:07):
Brigade.
They use yep, they use hottowels to warm their faces
during a shaving clinic whichwas given May 22nd 2017 at the
brigade's organizationalclassroom.
So 2017, quick maths would tellme about eight years ago.
They've been doing this so 2017.
(04:28):
So, that being said, this hasbeen in the works for a while,
which is my point.
So the army is preparing toroll out a new policy that could
lead to soldiers diagnosed withchronic skin condition that
caused painful razor bumps andscarring to be kicked out of
service, an issue thatdisproportionately affects black
(04:51):
men, and this is mainly whatwe're talking about.
Right, the potential that ithasn't rolled out yet, but the
guidance is coming out andthey're giving us a heads up.
Guidance is coming out andthey're giving us a heads up,
and the big issue is that partis the how it affects one
(05:14):
particular race.
Ok, so the next thing it saysis the new guidance expected to
take effect in the coming weekswould bar shape permanent
shaving waivers and requiremedical personnel to craft a
formal treatment plan foraffected troops, according to
multiple service officials andinternal documents reviewed by
(05:37):
the by military dot com.
So they're going to ban it, butthey're also going to come up
with a treatment plan.
I guess those who do pass thetreatment plan have nothing to
worry about.
The only thing that I wouldthink that people can
potentially hang their hats upon is it being still targeted,
(06:06):
right, I don't know this is it'sa thin line to say it's
targeted and be in the militaryat the same time.
What I would say is mepersonally, I do not care if you
have a beard, if you don't.
I do like it when it's normal,like if you have a.
(06:28):
If your beard is three, fourinches and you don't have a
religious exemption, I sometimesI'm like come on, bro, what,
what are we doing here?
But if you just keep it justnormal, as the profile says
because if your profile saysthree inches, then three inches
it is, I don't know.
But what I'm saying is we we'veseen it like.
This is nothing like.
(06:48):
What I'm saying is nothing new.
We've seen troops that justhave a long beard and this is.
I think those are the targetedaudience, which ultimately fall
under the majority ofpredominantly black men.
So let's continue.
(07:08):
So, soldiers in need of profileof oh yeah, soldiers in need of
prolonged waivers may bedirected to get laser treatment.
Those who need shavingexemption for more than 12
months over a two-year periodcould be kicked out the army.
So if you have, um, a shavingprofile for more than 12 months
(07:36):
over a two-year period, thenthat's when they're going to
start and it says, uh, could be.
It's not that they will, butbecause it hasn't come out, so
you have 24 months.
If you total up to 12 months,then here you go.
Units across the force willalso be mandated to rebrief
personnel on grooming standardswithin the 90 days, within 90
(07:58):
days of the policy rollout.
Obviously, right, we're goingto do a whole bunch of of of
briefs and, uh, the theaters aregoing to be full and we're
going to it's so crazy.
Um, but yeah, that's going tobe put out.
And then, obviously, they'regoing to come out with their
policy and then units are goingto OD on it and probably go
(08:19):
extra hard on it even even more,because that's the focal point.
So I would just say, for all ofyou who are on a profile just
relax, wait till the policycomes out and we'll take it from
there.
Next thing it says is, mostshaving waivers are for soldiers
diagnosed with PFB, a conditionin which hairs curl into the
(08:46):
skin after shaving, which causesirritation.
The Pentagon may cover lasertreatments, but that can cost
thousands of dollars per soldierdepending on the number of
sessions required.
It's unclear how many soldierswill require require this, this
um procedure.
So I guess the argument herecould also be is would the army
(09:07):
rather pay for these lasertreatments and them to
potentially not work, and thenstill have to escort the troop
out the army?
And then you know the.
Here's the um, the, thetaxpayer argument, which is oh,
my tax dollars are going herethis than a third.
So it's again.
(09:29):
Let's continue, though.
The american osteopathiccollege of dermatology estimates
that up to 60 percent of blackmen are affected by this
condition.
Laser laser treatments cancause a skin scarring and
changes in skin pigmentation.
So so the the, so they'resaying six out of 10 men, black
(09:50):
men, will have this.
And then on top of that is thatthe treatment could also cause
the scarring or just changetheir, the color of their skin.
Right Can make it darker, canmake it lighter.
So now this is your face andthis this is your first
presentation in the army in apicture that you take in dating
(10:10):
with your family, with your kids, it doesn't matter Like your
face, is your profile right andto potentially change that.
It's scary, I'm not going tolie.
Another thing about that is itsays that the treatment can
cause it.
If we think of immunizations,if we think of what are these
(10:31):
called Immunizations proceduresthat you may have, like ACL
tears, back surgeries Manythings have side effects.
It doesn't mean that it willhappen, but there is a potential
, which is why when you go andyou get a procedure done, you're
going to sign the somepaperwork before acknowledging
(10:55):
the fact that these side effectscan occur.
That's a that's a real thing inlife.
Okay, let's continue.
So in quotes it says of course,this is racially motivated.
One senior non-commissionedofficer familiar with the plan
(11:18):
told militarycom, on thecondition of anonymity, to avoid
retaliation Smart move, smartmove.
And then another quote there'sno tactical reason.
You can look professional withand hold on.
There's no tactical reason.
And then it has a semicolon youcan look professional with
(11:39):
facial hair.
End quote sentence.
Right there, there's notactical reason.
That's a true statement, becausewe're gonna be, we're, we're
hanging the hat on this gas mask.
I can't.
I've never used a gas mask inthe army, probably four times
total, and that's basic trainingand a couple gas chambers.
(11:59):
I've never, we've never had touse it and we're avoiding
nuclear attacks.
So I mean, that to me, is outout the window.
When you, when someone mentionsgas masks, that just lets me
know that they just don't likebeards.
That's it, because we'retalking about a 0.0001 percent.
That can happen, right, drivinga car you would get into an
(12:22):
accident driving a car beforeyou put your gas mask in,
probably a 20-year span ofservice in a real situation.
That's just so.
I think that, right, there isthe thing.
Oh, and the second part is youcan look professional with
facial hair, and this is whatI'm saying.
Those individuals who keeptheir hair down to what it's
(12:44):
supposed to be, yeah, more powerto them.
It's the, I think, where thebearing is.
I don't know, I don't know what, what, uh, sec, def and POTUS,
what their issue is, if it's thefacial hair or if it's the
outrageous facial hair, cause mepersonally don't care about
facial hair, I care more aboutthe ones that have it like
(13:05):
really bushy for no reason, andthen nowadays you can't ask for
a profile unless the commanderasks for it, and it's just a big
deal, right?
So I think there's a lot ofhiding behind the hippa, which
doesn't allow leaders to beleaders and in turn creates an
issue, and then those who havetheir biases already, now
(13:28):
they're really, it's amplifiedbecause it's like, see, I told
you so, yes, you can lookprofessional with facial hair.
I believe that.
So the next thing is it says inMarch, the Marine Corps rolled
out a similar program whichallows troops to be separated if
genetic skin condition persists, also raising concerns of
(13:48):
racial discrimination persist,also raising concerns of racial
discrimination.
Now, if we go to that umarticle, it says marines with
skin conditions affected mostlyblack, affecting mostly black
men, could now be booted underthe new policy, and this was
written march 14, 2025.
And if we go down to, I wouldsay here, we go right here.
(14:11):
Fourth paragraph, it says, andI quote in cases where a medical
condition prevents a Marinefrom meeting required standards
for an extended period exceedingone year, administrative
separation may be considered ifit affects long term service
capability.
So the verb if ours, mirrorsthat, there's verbiage there.
(14:35):
If it interferes long-termcapability, interpret that.
That is a command discretion atthat point.
If that's, if that's what thepolicy says, that verbiage right
there does not say immediatelyyou're going to be.
Just because you have facialhair and you can't fix it, then
(14:55):
you're done.
Okay, so and that's the endquote.
Major jacob getty, aspokesperson for the core
manpower and reserve affairs,said in an email statement
friday, when asked why marinesare no longer exempt from the
separate, exempt from separationdue to pfb okay, so we go back.
(15:19):
So that's the thing about that.
We're gonna.
If we mirror that there's,there's some leeway in there.
It's not mandated.
But I do have a question, thoseof you with shaving profiles has
your provider ever tried toteach you how to shave?
Because, yes, we have thetemporary profile and then the
(15:45):
easy button is just oh, here's apermanent profile and then
that's it.
You don't have to come see theprovider anymore, the provider
no longer has to see you.
But the question is, have theytried?
Have they tried to teach youhow to shave?
Because I remember I was inAlaska and between 2014 and 2017
, and her name was LieutenantColonel Brodin she was a
(16:08):
physician's assistant.
No, she was a nursepractitioner and she would give
you a profile.
But you would come back and shewould teach you, like that was
her mission to teach everysoldier how to shave their face,
not just to shave, to shavetheir face.
And I thought that that wasgood, because that's the purpose
(16:32):
of a profile, right, theprofile is to give you time to
rehabilitate.
It's an exemption to the rule.
Now, a permanent profile itjust means that you have an
exemption to the rule and thereare certain things you will
never be able to do, and shavingis one of them.
(16:54):
But when you get a, a permanentprofile, typically for your
knee, your ankle, your back, foranything else, it's because
you've been through extensivewell, this is how it's supposed
to be.
You've been through extensiverehabilitation tries or the
trauma is so hard that there'sno way that that joint will ever
(17:19):
function the same way.
So that's why I asked thisquestion have these doctors
tried to rehabilitate your face,for lack of better terms, all
right, so, um, yeah, I uh, let's, let's keep going.
(17:44):
So the army has been in aprolonged recruit slump since
the high water mark of the warsin Iraq and Afghanistan.
Something it started to turnaround last year, right,
something it's started to turn.
I don't know why.
I said something.
So, while black Americans makeup 14% of the US population,
they have accounted for roughlyone quarter of the Army's new
(18:06):
recruits in recent years, andthat number is steadily rising.
However, their services havemade deliberate efforts to
reduce recruiting efforts linkedto minority groups amid defense
secretary pete hex's purge ofdiversity initiatives during the
trump administration, and wesaw that through when they
(18:29):
stopped recruiting at some Ican't some STEM university that
was really big and it was Ithink it was a form of HBC, and
they just stopped that pipeline.
So I do.
I do remember that happening.
So in 2018, more than 44,000new recruits identified as white
(18:50):
.
According to the Army data, by2023, that number had fallen
just over 25, a staggering 43%drop in five years.
The steep annual decline camemost recently, with a 6% dip
from 2022 to 2023 alone.
No other demographic group hasseen such a precipitous fall.
(19:14):
Most of the recent recruitingslumps was attributed to men
being less qualified or willingto don the uniform, while women
have been joining the ranks at asteady rate.
That's what I'm talking about.
Get it, bring them in.
That's what I'm talking.
You.
What is this?
You go girl.
Yeah, that's.
You know what I mean.
So what we're doing so.
(19:36):
They're either not qualifiedbecause they're we've, we.
They're either not qualifiedbecause they're we've, we've,
come in with the future soldiersprogram and all that which is
they, uh they if they're, ifthey're too big, or or they
can't, if they can't meet heightand weight, or they can't pass
a pt to acft, aft now.
Then they have a 90-day programand then for those who can't
(19:57):
pass the asvAB, they have thesame thing.
So that's been a supplementalpipeline.
But just Joe coming off thestreet, it's they're not
qualified because it's adifferent time.
I guess I don't.
I don't know what the issue is,either medical or they just
can't cut it.
And some of them just say Iain't about that life, it is
(20:17):
what it is, I ain't trying to godo all this extra stuff, right?
So, moving on, medicalcomplications tied to mandatory
shaving emerged as a flashpointduring the military bumpy road
towards racial integration Inthe early 1970s.
Then Chief of Naval OperationAdmiral L Zumwalt launched an
(20:39):
aggressive campaign to root outracism and sexism across the
ranks.
As a part of the broader push,zumwalt issued a now-famous
directive permitting soldiers togrow beards and mustaches, a
move that clashed with theNavy's traditional rigid
grooming codes but aim to easechronic skin issues that
(21:03):
disproportionately affectedblack service members.
I can see that.
I can see that Right.
So you allow them to have theirmustaches and beards.
I guess, yeah, mustache andbeards.
And now it's an equal playingfield because again, we're going
(21:25):
back to the hair coiling ispredominantly African-American
men.
That's it.
The primary argument allowingbeards in the ranks has lost,
centered on concerns that theywould compromise the seal of the
gas mask.
I can't, I can't with that.
Oh, it makes me aggressive tohear that.
But in 2021, studies frommilitary medicine, a peer
(21:45):
reviewed medical journal, foundthere's no conclusive evidence
that a well-groomed, modestbeard interferes with mass
function.
A well-groomed, modest beard,okay.
Modest beard, okay.
And I mean there's I don't knowwhatever man.
(22:06):
I can't, I can't with that gasmask argument.
To me, it's just a easy way,it's an easy button, right, like
when you were younger and yourmom or your dad you ask them,
hey, could I go get this orcould I go out?
And they'd be like, no, and belike, but why?
Because I said so.
So that's it right there.
That's what it feels like to meall the time when someone says
the gas mask.
So the publication also notedthat a small fraction of service
(22:28):
members operate in environmentswhere chemical attacks are a
realistic threat.
In Alaska, units are grantedwide latitude when it comes to
grooming standards, withcommanders often waiving shaving
requirements.
During the frigid winter months, troops are frequently
instructed to skip their morningshave or forego it entirely
(22:50):
while operating in the field,not out of convenience but out
of safety precautions.
To stream cold can make shavinga medical hazard, with exposed
skin at risk of frostbite andother cold weather injuries.
And this is a hundred percenttrue.
I was stationed in Alaska from14 to 17.
And that's where I metLieutenant Colonel Brodin at the
(23:11):
time.
And man, you can't shaveoutside.
There's no way.
I mean even even here, likewhen you, when you go to the
field, you see everyone growingtheir mustaches and they let the
hair out, whatever it is,because it's just an unwritten
rule.
It's more relaxed, it is whatit is.
You're out there, you'reshaving.
(23:32):
It's not a big deal In Garrison, that's a.
We say in Spanish eso son otro20 pesos, that's another $20,
right, but yes, 100%.
They forego it.
We don't have to worry about it.
I can attest to that.
Moving on the Army move to clampdown on shaving waivers follows
(23:54):
Hegseth, who has protested,shaving waivers, ordering a
sweep of review of groomingstandards across the service,
and he did, and I remember this,I did a TikTok about it and I
did a video about this as well.
He has claimed that standardshave fallen in recent years and
damaged the military.
I agree and I don't.
(24:18):
You know, I'm not against whatthey're doing.
I'm not against it becausethat's the rule, right, there's
exceptions to the rule.
I'm just against the fact, ornot against the fact?
I disagree with the fact thatit because it affects a certain
demographic.
If that were not the case, Ithink this would go over, just
(24:39):
like anything else.
Oh man, we got to shade, blah,blah, blah.
But the fact that it it'smajority, this, that's that's
where the hiccup is.
But, yes, standards have gonedown.
I'm telling you, standards havegone down and and it's our
fault as our fault as leaders,that the standards have gone
down at the same time, orstrategic level are tying our
(25:03):
hands.
They keep coming up with theseregulations, these rules that
don't allow us to do our job.
I think that's the issue.
That's what I think the issueis the new directives that have
been coming out throughout theyears.
I'm not talking about thisadministration I been coming out
throughout the years.
(25:24):
I'm not talking about thisadministration I'm talking about
throughout the years havepigeonholed, true, or leaders
from doing their job.
I'm not saying you got a skulldrag, joe, but there used to be
a time that joe would thinktwice before they say something
crazy, because you knew you'dprobably be doing low crawls
around a baseball field.
And I say that because in myfirst duty station, one of my
(25:49):
buddies he was late to formation.
It was like his third time bynow and it was like all right,
cool, I remember it was.
He was staff sergeant at thetime.
He got promoted to SergeantFirst Class when we deployed,
but Staff Sergeant Buchanan,he's a Sergeant Major now.
He made PFC Buchanan, go get agas mask, go get a water jug and
(26:14):
he had to push the water jug.
And then he had to low crawl,push the water jug to low crawl,
push the water jug, low crawl.
And I remember this vividlybecause it was my first time
playing ultimate frisbee.
I had never heard of this untilI got into the army and I was
like what the heck is ultimatefrisbee?
And then he shows up and thenI'm like what the heck is he
doing so, yeah, I mean thosetimes, those the of doing that.
(26:39):
I'm not saying we have to dothat, whatever it is, and some,
some units still do it, but whatI'm saying is we, the fear, or
the fear has has, kind of likeum, has been gone, right.
So if the soldier doesn't justupright respect you, it's a wrap
, you're done Right, becausebefore you had fear and respect,
now you just have to haverespect, no fear, and I think
(27:03):
this is my personal opinion.
I think there has to be sometype of fear in there, because
if not, there are regulations ontheir side.
This is my thought process.
What do you think?
All right?
Last thing, we kicked out goodsoldiers for having naked women
tattoos on their arms, andthat's true.
Oh man, I remember this vividly.
(27:27):
He passed away now, but one ofmy good buddies, johnson, he had
a on his thigh no, not histhigh on his calf.
He had a woman on like one ofthose pinups and she didn't have
.
She had her breast out and hehad to go get it covered, like
(27:48):
put a bikini on her, becausethat was a thing.
It was that or get out.
So that statement right there.
That's true.
And this was 2000, between 2008and 2011.
My first first duty station,2011,.
My first duty station, hexesssaid in a March statement,
criticizing what hecharacterized as bad policy
decisions by pastadministrations, and I got to
(28:10):
agree with him.
And today we are relaxing thestandards on shaving dreadlocks,
man buns and straight upobesity, piece by piece.
The standard has to go becauseof equity and that's a end quote
from him I it's, it's, it's,it's wild, it's wild.
(28:33):
And and that's I mean straightup obesity I don't know about.
I don't think I've seen a manbun.
What I've seen is like the longhair, that kind of like that.
It's just right there at theeyebrow.
I've seen that.
I saw one soldier that heposted himself on um on tiktok
with dreadlocks.
Shaving has always been a thingin the army.
(28:56):
I've almost 18 years andshaving has been a thing.
So I don't know that doesn't itdoesn't bother me unless it's
bushy, like out of theirspecific parameters for shaving,
right.
But yeah, I think we as leadersneed to make sure that we don't
(29:23):
overreact to this.
Keep our calm.
So when, joe, when we deliverthe information to Joe or when
Joe is talking about it, we canmake sure that we ease them into
understanding what's going on,even if we don't agree with it.
As leaders, we have to keep itprofessional.
That's it.
And in order to keep itprofessional, we have to take
(29:44):
and be a little bit emotionallyintelligent, and when we deliver
the message or we're clearingup a message or a notion that
Joe has, we have to say it fairand impartial, just like we do
punishment and rewards.
We also have to obey thesepolicies, memos and regulations
(30:06):
the same way, and that's how wedeliver information.
It's very difficult, I know it,trust me, especially when you
are the one feeling targetedSame time.
We're leaders and we have to beprofessionals.
Now I want to hear your thoughtson this.
Keep it clean, though.
Don't don't don't be wild anddon't be ODing in the comments.
(30:26):
Do you think the upcoming memois a good or a bad thing?
Drop your thoughts in thecomments and if you found this
discussion insightful, check outmy other videos, which I'll
post them somewhere around here,and remember you don't have to
embrace the suck if you got theright tools in your rug.
I'm Sarn Cruz and I'll see youin the next one.
(30:48):
Peace.
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